This application is based on applications Nos. 11-79602 and 11-369938 filed in Japan, the entire content of which is hereby incorporated by reference.
The present invention generally relates to a data processing apparatus and an image processing apparatus. More particularly, the present invention relates to a data processing apparatus and an image processing apparatus executing data processing and image processing, respectively, adapted to sending electronic data or documents to a plurality of receiving ends.
When a document is sent to a plurality of its receivers (destinations) in a company, a person in charge takes a required number of copies of an original document with a copying machine. Then, the person writes names of the receivers on the copies one by one with a pen or sticks address tags to each copy. In another company, a receiver list prepared in advance is added to a cover page of an original document. After taking copies of the original document, a person in charge marks a particular receiver in the receiver list on each copy with a marker pen. Conventionally, due to such a manual work required, it takes a lot of time and labor to send documents to a plurality of departments or receiving ends. Further, copies taken from the same original document can be sent in excess to the same receiver by mistake or sent insufficiently. Moreover, there is a problem that copies are taken in excess, which means waste of resources such as paper.
There has been proposed a copying machine having an editing function which synthesizes a primary original document on which a receiver is not displayed and another auxiliary original document listing receivers, to generate copies containing an indication of a different receiver (for example, character strings such as xe2x80x9csales departmentxe2x80x9d, xe2x80x9cgeneral affairs departmentxe2x80x9d, and the like) (U.S. Pat. No. 5,153,737). However, in using the editing function-provided copying machine, it takes much time and labor to prepare the auxiliary original document listing the receivers. Further, because only one particular receiver (receiving department) among a plurality of intended receivers is displayed on each copy, it is impossible for the particular receiver to know whether copies of the same document have been sent to other associated departments.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a data processing apparatus and an image processing apparatus well adapted to send documents in the form of electronic data or paper to a plurality of receivers.
More particularly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a data processing apparatus and an image processing apparatus which can minimize a manual operation in preparing for sending same documents in the form of electronic data or paper to a number of receivers, so that these data and papers are simply and securely sent to the individual receiving ends.
It is also an object of the present invention to provide a data processing apparatus and an image processing apparatus allowing a receiver that has received a document in the form of electronic data or paper to easily know whether a same document has been sent to other receivers.
To achieve the objects, an image processing apparatus reflecting one aspect of the present invention comprises:
a recognizer recognizing, by referring character strings included in original image data of a document, a plurality of receivers to which the document should be sent; and
a data processor generating modified image data from the original image data, the modified image data being for being addressed to a first receiver among the receivers and including character strings representing the receivers,
wherein, in the modified image data, a display format of one of the character strings representing the first receiver is different from a display format of the character strings representing the remaining ones of the receivers.
The expression xe2x80x9cdisplay formatxe2x80x9d herein means a display format which can be altered, with the meaning (receiver) of the character string maintained. That is, for instance, the xe2x80x9cdisplay formatxe2x80x9d includes color (including density), font, font size, font style (e.g., inverted character, bold, italic, or the like), underline, surrounding line, half-tone dot meshing, addition of a symbol or a character, etc.
In this image processing apparatus, initially, by referring the character strings included in the original image data of the document, the recognizer recognizes a plurality of receivers to which the document should be sent. Then, the data processor generates modified image data from the original image data for the first receiver among the receivers. The modified image data includes character strings representing the receivers. In the modified image data, a display format of one of the character strings representing the first receiver is different from a display format of the character strings representing the remaining ones of the receivers. Thus, the modified image data exclusively directed or addressed to the first receiver is easily generated.
According to other aspect of the present invention, an image processing apparatus comprises:
a recognizer recognizing, by referring character strings included in original image data of a document, a plurality of receivers to which the document should be sent; and
a data processor generating a plurality of sets of modified image data from the original image data, the plurality of sets of the modified image data being for being addressed to the receivers, respectively, each set of the modified image data including character strings representing the receivers,
wherein, in each set of the modified image data, a display format of one of the character strings representing the respective one of receivers is different from a display format of the character strings representing the remaining ones of the receivers.
In the image processing apparatus having the above clarified construction, by referring character strings included in original image data of a document, the recognizer recognizes a plurality of receivers to which the document should be sent. Then, the data processor generates a plurality of sets of modified image data from the original image data, wherein the plurality of sets of the modified image data are for being addressed to the receivers, respectively. Each set of the modified image data includes character strings representing the receivers, and in each set of the modified image data, a display format of one of the character strings representing the respective one of receivers is different from a display format of the character strings representing the remaining ones of the receivers. Thus, a plurality of sets of modified data respectively directed or addressed to the receivers are easily generated, resulting in considerable reduction of time and labor of a manual operation which have conventionally been required in preparing documents to be individually sent to a plurality of receivers.
In one embodiment, the image processing apparatus further includes an output section outputting each set of the modified image data to the respective one of the receivers. Provision of the output section prevents copies of the document from being sent repeatedly to the same receiver by mistake. Also, provision of the output section prevents shortage of hard copies of the document. That is, a document can be reliably and correctly sent to the receivers, or receiving ends, such as company departments, to which it should be sent. Consequently, in outputting the image data as hard copy at a sending end or receiving ends, resources such as paper are prevented from being wastefully consumed. Further, because a character string in the modified image data representing a target receiving end has a display format different from character strings in the modified image data representing the other receiving ends, the target receiving end knows easily whether the document received by this receiving end is addressed to itself or not, and whether a document of the same content as the received one has been sent to other receiving ends.
In one embodiment, the output section includes a facsimile number storage storing facsimile numbers of the receivers, and a communication section dialing the facsimile numbers and thus sending each set of the modified image data to the respective one of the receivers through a telephone line.
In this embodiment, the communication section is connected with a telephone line with reference to a facsimile number stored in the facsimile number storage. Accordingly, in the case where a receiver has a facsimile number, it is possible to timely send the image data of the document to that receiver through the telephone line, with the display format of the character string indicating the receiver differentiated from those of other character strings. The facsimile apparatus at the receiving end connected with the image processing apparatus through the telephone line (facsimile line) outputs a copy of the received document in the form of paper, on which the character string indicating this receiver is indicated with the display format different from the display format of the character strings for the other receivers.
In one embodiment, the output section includes an address storage storing network communication addresses of the receivers, and a communication section addressing the network communication addresses and thus sending each set of the modified image data to the respective one of the receivers through a network line.
In this image processing apparatus, the network communication section is connected with a relevant network line with reference to the network communication address stored in the address storage. Accordingly, in the case where a receiver has a network communication address, it is possible to timely send the image data of the document to the receiver through the network line, with the display format of the character string indicating this receiver differentiated from that of the character strings for the other receivers. A printer at the receiving end connected with the image processing apparatus through the network line automatically or as necessary prints out the received image data on a sheet or sheets of paper, on which the character string indicating this receiver is indicated with the display format different from the display format of the character strings for the other receivers.
In one embodiment, the output section comprises different kinds of output devices, and these output devices have their respective preset priorities. For example, the output section includes an output device using facsimile communications and an output device using network communications. If the output device using network communications is given a higher priority than the output device using facsimile communications, a document is sent by the former output device, and not by the latter output device. Therefore, even if both network communications and facsimile communications are available in sending a document to one receiver, redundant sending of the same document is well avoided.
In one embodiment, the priorities of the output devices are changeable for each receiver. Accordingly, a document can be sent to each receiver by a sending method suited for each receiver.
According to still further aspect of the present invention, a data processing apparatus comprises:
a data processing unit, by referring information included in original data of a document, a plurality of receivers to which the document should be sent, and generating modified data from the original data, the modified data being for being addressed to a first receiver among the receivers, said modified data including first information representing the first receiver and second information representing the remaining ones of receivers,
wherein a display format of the first information is different from a display format of the second information.
For example, the data processing apparatus may be a personal computer which is capable of sending HTML data files to the receivers through a network communications. In this case, destinations of the receivers or character strings representing the receivers may be included in the HTML data file, and a display format of one of the destinations or character strings may be differentiated from a display format of the destinations or character strings of the remaining ones of the receivers so that the intended receiver can easily realize the data file is directed to himself or herself.
Other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will be obvious from the following description.